It’s the same every year. All I want is a nice photo of the kids to make Christmas cards, or to put in a bauble or gift to the Grandparents. Just a nice, festive photo. You see those photos on Facebook and Instagram – newborns in santa hats, siblings in matching festive jumpers – and you think it can’t be that hard to recreate. So here’s how you can do it, in twelve not-so-easy steps.

Identify that precise 5 minutes of the day when the children are feeling fairly compliant. It’s a tough spot, and has to be timed just right when they are neither too hungry nor too tired. But it’s mid-December and you still haven’t got round to doing this, so you settle for ten minutes before bedtime and just hope for the best. After all, they only have to pose nicely for the second it takes to press the shutter. How hard can that be?

Wash their faces, do their hair and dress them in something Christmassy.

Break up a fight between a toddler and 4 year old because they both want to wear the same hair band.

Re-do their hair.

Go into every room in the house trying to find one corner that isn’t filled with clutter or piles or ironing. There’s one spot that will do, if you angle the camera just right.

Re-do their hair. Again.

Take one photo. Someone wasn’t looking at the camera.

Take another. Someone wasn’t smiling.

Take another. Neither child was looking at the camera. Or smiling.

Take another. Now someone’s crying.

Take another. Now everyone is crying.

Give up, and pick the best of a bad bunch (which will inevitably be the first photo you took).

Here’s some of the festive snaps we ended up with (before giving up and going with the first one I took… the one at the top of the post with Clara’s super cheesy smile!)

Yes its bad enough trying to get one to look at the camera! Usually Izzy is too busy trying to get Clara to look at the camera, by waving her hand or clicking her fingers, that she just makes it worse!

I have to say a round of applause for getting a great festive photo of your children, I attempt this every year with my daughter, me, my other half and the dog, it’s a struggle. A child who doesn’t look at the camera and a huge husky who is trying to escape my clutches! It’s hard! Haha! This post made me giggle! Have a great Christmas! X